At The Children’s School I observed a group of 3 year olds engaging in various learning activities in the classroom. Compared to the older children, it seemed difficult to capture and maintain their attention on any one activity for an extended period of time. Part of that might have been related to the strict rules they were supposed to follow, like maintaining their position on a small carpet square during learning activities. The most informative interaction I watched was when their teacher read them a story which asked them to identity various community helpers (related to their current theme) using a few verbal and visual clues. The activity was largely centered around the objective of industry which is cited on the handout we received as an elementary level skill. I found it interesting how vocal and engaged the kids were when given the chance to show how much they know.

Apart from the reading though it seemed like “playing” was the most engaging activity for all of the kids in the school. (As a side note I was reading the “About Me” cards around the school and almost every one cited the word “playing” in describing favorite activities.) In the case of the youngest age group, they were playing with legos and playdough without any strict rules to follow, allowing them to express creativity and autonomy.